


Avenging Love: Retribution

by xsimkat



Series: Avenging Love Series [2]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Epic Friendship, F/M, Love Confessions, Phoebe gets hurt, Pre-Iron Man 2, Protective Tony Stark, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony and Phoebe friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-21
Updated: 2018-05-22
Packaged: 2019-05-09 21:49:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,633
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14724200
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xsimkat/pseuds/xsimkat
Summary: Phoebe Reynolds has been working steadily with Tony Stark since he announced himself as Iron Man. Everything seemed to be working out fine until Phoebe is kidnapped when the duo decide to go rogue in order to take out a Hydra op.~Can be read as stand-alone, but recommended that you read "Avenging Love: Refuge" first.





	1. Self-Destruction

***

It’s been two years since Tony announced himself as Iron Man. Two years since Fury asked him about the Avengers Initiative. Tony talked it over with Phoebe, who hadn’t known enough about the program to give him much advice. After finding out that Phoebe wasn’t considered for the gig, Tony dismissed Fury’s invitation. Fury insisted he had his reasons for not allowing Phoebe to join. The most of which was her father’s murder was still unsolved, but whoever killed him knew that S.H.I.E.L.D. is protecting the survivor of the second super-soldier serum experimentation. Her identity has been kept off S.H.I.E.L.D.’s records, but until they catch whoever is after her, she had to stay out of the public eye, including a program that could potentially bring lots of reporters and cameramen.

Luckily, this meant that Phoebe could spend more time with Tony. He continued to be Iron Man, helping people and stopping criminals. He also continued to “run” _Stark Industries_ , whose sales sky-rocketed since 2009 despite his announcement to not make weapons anymore. The two even worked together on a few missions with S.H.I.E.L.D.. She still wasn’t allowed to use her powers, but sometimes she broke the rules if no one was looking.

Currently, Tony and Phoebe were en route back to Tony’s mansion. Phoebe sat on an extension that was placed on Tony’s back.

“You did good today, Sparks,” Tony said through his helmet.

Phoebe shouted over the wind. “Would’ve been better if I could have used a little more power, though.”

“You know the rules. Until we find out where this _HYDRA-_ worshipper is and why he wants you, you can’t risk exposure.”

“At least he can’t kill me if he does capture me. He needs my blood to even get close to a replication.”

“Well, HYDRA’s vampires aren’t getting anywhere near you, or he’ll have to face Iron Man.”

“You love being a superhero, don’t you?”

“It doesn’t pay the bills, but then again, I’m a billionaire.”

Tony hovered over the helicopter pad. Phoebe slid down his back. After he put his suit away, he joined Phoebe in the living room where Fury was waiting, casually reading a newspaper. He looked comfortable, his feet crisscross on the stone coffee table and jacket lying across the back of the couch.

 “Of course you’re here,” Tony said as he entered his home. “JARVIS, we’re going to have a talk later about your security protocols.”

“Very well, sir,” JARVIS replied.

Tony crossed his arms over his arc reactor. His face scrunched, but even Phoebe had to take a second glance to notice it. “So…to what do I owe this displeasure?”

Fury sighed. “You have my agent flying on the back of your suit like a goddamn motorcycle. I’m here to make sure she stays in one piece until the son of a bitch that is after her is either dead or captured,” he said.

Tony glared at him. “She was _my_ friend way before she became _your_ agent, so I think I know how to protect her.”

“I can speak myself,” Phoebe interjected. “Sir, with all due respect, it’s been over a decade since my father’s murder. Are you sure HYDRA is even after me?”

Fury reached for a vanilla envelope on the end table. “That’s for Stark to find out.”

Tony took the file and opened it, revealing multiple images of various target locations. Such locations were in major cities, including New York City. “Who is putting together this operation?”

“I don’t know,” Fury said from a distance. He was already walking towards the front door to the helicopter pad. “Our intel says that HYDRA is trying to distribute bases around the US like they did in World War II. They wouldn’t do that unless they had a specific play.”

Phoebe put two and two together. “Meaning me. I’m the play.”

“We think they’re going to send someone to New York first, since that is where Dr. Reynolds was killed.”

Tony, seemingly uncaring about the file, tossed the it on the coffee table and reached for a bottle of scotch. “Good thing we’re on the opposite side of the country.”

“We believe she would be safest if we put her in a safe house for the time being while you work the mission,” Fury said.

“No way,” Phoebe protested. She was not going to some rinky-dink log cabin in the middle of nowhere with armed guards at every access point. “I’m staying here.”

Fury lifted his head, lips pursed, as if he were debating what to do. After a moment, he said, “Fine, but Agent Coulson will stay with you when Mr. Stark leaves.”

“I’m sorry, but in case you forgot… I own this house. Which means I say whether visitors are allowed. JARVIS is capable of way more than just simple house chores now. He can alert Phoebe to danger accurate to within 25 miles,” Tony said as he poured himself a shot.

“Did we forget that I don’t live here?” Phoebe inquired. “Our last mission took a little while longer to complete, but I’ve been staying here a few weeks.”

“Do you want to live, Agent?” Fury asked, showing a very serious expression that made Phoebe gulp quietly.

“Of course.”

“Then Agent Coulson will be on the first flight to Malibu tomorrow,” Fury said lowly before exiting out the front door.

“Have I ever told you how much I really hate that you brought me to them?” Phoebe quipped. She sat down on Tony’s couch, kicking her feet on the coffee table and read the file.

“Yeah, but if I hadn’t, we may have lost you, too,” Tony insisted, looking at her solemnly.

Phoebe knew he was talking about when her father was murdered outside of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s main headquarters. “So apparently this guy,” Phoebe held up the picture, “Dirk Kozlov is a Russian spy. Former military experience with the Russian Armed Forces. Wants to take over the world by capturing all nuclear weapons from hostile countries,” she read off. “Typical MO,” she mumbled to herself.

 Tony frowned. “Excuse me? Feet. Table. Off.”

“Congratulations, Tony. You’ve completed pre-school grammar,” Phoebe replied sarcastically. “Now come over here and help me.”

 “What else is there to look over?” Tony conceded, sitting down on the other side of the round couch and picking up a file of his own. “It says on his intel file that Kozlov’s family…” Tony skimmed through the rest of the intel sheet. “… was a victim of _Stark Industries_ missile failure in 1992.” Tony’s voice darkened, and the files were thrown onto the floor as he down a second shot.

“Tony, you can’t blame yourself,” Phoebe pleaded with him softly.

“Kozlov’s killed ten people in the last decade alone, Phoebe. To get back at _me_.” Tony stood up. Phoebe stood with him because she had no idea what he might do. He could run off to his suit and go directly after Kozlov now, but she wouldn’t let him. “Obviously his plan wasn’t working, so he decided to move up in the world. Now he’s going after our nukes and plotting to recreate HYDRA’s base camps because _I_ didn’t pay attention. I just sold my weapons and collected the write-offs.” Tony’s jaw clenched tight enough to look pained. Phoebe stepped closer, placing one hand on his cheek, sighing in relief that his muscles relaxed.

One look into his eyes told her that Tony had been harboring so much guilt since becoming Iron Man. “Stop it. You’re an indirect cause. He wants _me_ , not you. You just became a motivator. He’s doing those things because they’re after me. Your company just got in the way.”

                                                              ***

“I won’t let him hurt you,” Tony amended, pressing into her hand. He’d never get through it if she died. “I’m going to stop him.”

“Yeah, you will. Because you’ll have me as backup.”

Is she serious? Tony backed away, yanking her hand away, eyes glaring. “Are you crazy or just stupid?”

“I’m trying to do the right thing. Like you said, innocent people _died_! I can’t just sit here under house arrest and do nothing-”

“Yes, you can, because I can’t focus on the mission and watch out for you!” Tony reasoned, but it was like reasoning with a rock.

“I’m not a child, Tony. I’m a grown ass woman who could blow you up where you stand right now if I wanted to. We can stop him together,” Phoebe defended. Tony watched the determination float around her iris and he knew the moment he looked into her eyes that he couldn’t leave her here.

“JARVIS, initiate protocol 326,” Tony ordered, still looking at Phoebe. JARVIS did as he was told.

“What did you do?” Phoebe asked, curious.

“As of now, we aren’t having this conversation. JARVIS’s audio hardline is offline, and a replay of a casual night watching RomComs is playing over his video track,” Tony said, handing Phoebe the bottle of scotch. He knew she only drank out of the bottle, the vixen. “Say you do come with me. Do we even know where _we-_ ” he gestured between the two of them, “are going?”

Phoebe reached over and grabbed the target file. “You see that mark over D.C.?”

“He tried to erase it, but the pressure of the pencil was too deep,” Tony turned his total attention to the map. “You think D.C. is still in the works?”

“It’s our country’s capital. I don’t think they’d be stupid enough to put a HYDRA base there, but they’d sure as hell go to the biggest S.H.I.E.L.D. base in the world to hack into our files to find out their deepest, darkest secrets.”

“So what do you suggest?” Tony asked.

“We’ve got the fish. All we need now is to set the bait.”

“You want to put yourself directly in the line of fire, without any backup?”

“Can you create a suit capable of compact travelling?” Phoebe’s plan wouldn’t work unless Tony had access to a suit capable of changing at a moment’s notice.

“Honey, I can build anything,” Tony replied smugly, a hand on his chest as if he’d been hurt by her comment. Tony brought out a bottle of champagne in, popping the bottle as he set on the edge of the couch. The _pop!_ startled Phoebe and she held up her hands, effectively freezing the cork. “Gut reaction still in effect?”

“Yeah,” Phoebe admitted, reaching up to grab the cork. “It’s getting better, though. Watch.” Phoebe swirled her fingers, pointing to the glass-embedded shelf where the wood lay under the fireplace. A spark flickered under the wood. Another flick of her wrist, and a meek little fire started, spreading from wood block to wood block until it built momentum into a warm blaze.

“That saves so much time and energy,” Tony said. He held up his glass, gesturing for her to join him. “Cheers to self-destruction. I have successfully mentored you and shaped you into the young woman you are today, giving me this crazy idea that I am undoubtedly going to regret later. I feel proud.”

“As you should, Mr. Self-Destruction,” Phoebe replied with a wink before clanking the bottle and taking a swig.

 “To new adventures as team Iron Man.”

Phoebe clanked her glass. “Wait. Team Iron Man?” she choked, quickly swallowing the remainder of her champagne.

Tony shrugged and took a gulp of the sizzling liquid. “Fury’s been calling me in to help you so I kind of assumed that you and I are… I dunno, partners. Like Sherlock and Watson.” He reached to pour another glass, hiding his blush behind the olive green champagne bottle.

Phoebe giggled, oblivious to his awkwardness. “And who is Sherlock?”

“Oh, I know better than to start that argument,” Tony said, grinning like a Cheshire cat.

“You are so drunk,” Phoebe couldn’t help but laugh. “Can you make it to your room?”

“JARVIS is my co-pilot. He can take me anywhere,” Tony slurred.

“Almost anywhere. I am not equipped for intergalactic distances yet,” JARVIS said, trying to make a joke through his monotone input. “But I am confident that Mr. Stark will be able to do that in the near future.”

“A man with style. Not bad, Mr. Stark,” Phoebe joked playfully, touching Tony’s arm casually.

Tony gulped mid-swig, trying hard not to show how hearing her say _Mr. Stark_ affected him. He coughed and hit his reactor to jiggle the liquid out of his airway and into his esophagus. He scooted closer to her, feeling the heat coming off of her bodysuit and sending a cold chill down his spine. He reached behind her neck, stopping when her eyes widened. She didn’t pull away, so he pressed the button at the nape of her neck, allowing the suit to release the tightness around her body, giving her breathing room. She looked like she was wearing a pajama onesie now, and somehow, she managed to be just as beautiful as when she showed off every curve.

***

Phoebe closed her eyes as Tony pulled his hand away. Part of her screamed to get up, to go to bed and blame the booze, but her body works twice as hard as normal, so she wasn’t even drunk. She opened her eyes to notice Tony had been staring at her, his eyes darker than normal. He looked like he was debating on whether to do something. What did he think he was- _whoa._ Tony’s lips were on Phoebe’s before she could finish her sentence. She wasn’t sure whether to kiss him back or just let him do his thing.

Tony set his drink aside and cupped her warm cheek, feeling the flush of her skin hot against his palm. He pulled away so that his lips ghosted over hers, breathing heavily.

“Wait,” Phoebe breathed.

Tony nodded quickly. “I know, and I’m sorry. It’s a lot. And I’m drunk. But I just- I had to kiss you. A _real_ kiss. Even if it was our last.”      


	2. Like a Champ

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Phoebe and Tony gear up for their rogue mission, but not without a few hiccups.

Sunrise had just peaked over the horizon, but Tony and Phoebe were already awake and packed for their mission. Though neither of them had spoken to each other. Tony felt like an ass. The hangover he was currently experiencing was minor compared to the migraine threatening his temples. He tried not to recall last night’s events, but to be honest, they were flashing back like old-time film, banging against every nerve cell until he had a vivid image of Phoebe’s lips.

He kissed her. _Really_ kissed her. God, what was he thinking? Sure, they may die in this rogue mission plan of theirs, but was that really an excuse to ruin their friendship? Obviously drunk Tony thought it was.

So instead of approaching the situation, Tony locked himself downstairs, spending most of the early hours of morning finalizing his upgrades on the Mark V, which fit in an inconspicuous suitcase. Perfect for the S.H.I.E.L.D.’s business, three-piece suit setting. Tony then traipsed through the hallway, careful to avoid Phoebe’s guest bedroom, and picked out an Armani suit. That wasn’t too expensive for S.H.I.E.L.D., right? Nah, he’d be fine. He was Tony Stark. Iron Man! Of course he’d have an Armani suit.

Despite the size of the mansion, Tony couldn’t avoid Phoebe forever. He had a lot of explaining to do, so he may as get it over with before the flew off to D.C. to scout for Hydra agents. Tony pulled himself up by his bootstraps and headed down the hallway, stopping at Phoebe’s door, which was ajar. He could see Phoebe smoothing out the edges of her black and fuchsia bodysuit with black fingerless gloves attached at the wrist. She bent over to pull her hair into a high ponytail when Tony cleared his throat, startling her.

“Can I come in?” he asked, swallowing as he had a clear view of her ass. He had to look up. Anywhere other than what was directly in front of him.

“It’s your house,” Phoebe answer dully, swinging her head back upright. “You can do whatever you want.”

Tony winced at her harshness. “Okay, I probably deserved that.”

“I just can’t believe you, Tony. You really have shit timing,” Phoebe babbled, violently grabbing her weapons belt and snapping it on. “How many times did you say you loved me? Dozens of times, right? How many of those did you let me believe were a platonic love for each other when really you meant the other thing.”

“Phoebe, I wasn’t trying to make things difficult. I just- I don’t know what we’re up against here. This is HYDRA we’re talking about. They killed Steve Rogers, my parents, your father. They are dangerous and we could die. You do realize that, right?”

Phoebe’s eyes narrowed. “Of course I do. But that doesn’t give you the right to completely change our dynamic _just_ before we go up against them.”

Tony raised a brow. “Who said our dynamic would change? We’re great together, whether it’s as friends or teammates. It won’t affect me. Nothing, not even a kiss, could change that.” A pause, and Tony’s eyes widened. “Unless it’s affecting you.”

Phoebe looked down, remaining silent. Tony never felt his heart beating as fast as it was right now.

“Phoebe?” Tony questioned, stepping forward so he loomed over her short, 5’3 stature. She held both hands in front of her, coddling her forearms as she looked up at him. “Did you feel something when I kissed you?”

“Yeah. I felt your lips over mine, _kissing me_ ,” Phoebe quipped with an eye roll.

“You’re never this snappy with me,” Tony noted, trying to hide his smile.

“You’re being creepy observant,” Phoebe returned.

Tony sighed and extended a hand to her shoulder. Phoebe looked nervous and he could tell by the change in her eyes that something was holding her back. “Just admit it, Pheebs. You like me.”

“I so do not!”

“Do, too.”

“Do not.”

“Phoebe.”

“Tony.”

Okay, enough is enough. Tony launched forward and captured her lips in a soft, but firm kiss. Phoebe moaned and wrapped an arm around him. Tony pulled her close, tasting the mint toothpaste still scenting her mouth as he traced his tongue across her bottom lip. Their tongues danced as Tony pulled her backwards. They hit the bed with a  _plop!_ and the realizaion of what they were doing surfaced.

“What are we doing?” Phoebe asked, breathing heavy. "Oh my god."

“Don't do this," Tony groaned. "Don't start thinking now. Just feel."

"Tony," Phoebe sighed, sitting up. "I can't."

Tony looked down at his feet. 

"I'm sorry, Tony. I wish there was an easier way-"

“Sir, we have a situation,” JARVIS interrupted.

“J,” Tony said. “Now is _not_ a great time.”

“But sir-”

“Go away, JARVIS,” Tony panted.

“Very well, sir.”

Moments later, his watch vibrated in a continuous heartbeat until he looked at it. “Fuck!” he cursed, forcing himself to put his shoes on.

“Where’s the fire?” Phoebe asked.

Tony did not find that funny in the slightest. In fact, the continuous beeping from his watch made him anything but humored. “Coulson. En route. Time to go.” He grabbed Phoebe’s arm and tugged her down the stairs, and swinging their bags over their hands. They bolted out the front door, but they were too late. Agent Coulson was standing in front of their helicopter with Happy detained behind him.

“Sorry, Agent Reynolds. I’ve been ordered to take you to a safe house for your protection,” Coulson said.

“J…” Tony mumbled.

“Sir, they have the place surrounded,” JARVIS told his creator through an earwig that both Phoebe and Tony wore to communicate with each other.

Tony held a protective hand over Phoebe’s body, as if he thought that would make a difference. It wouldn’t. There too many agents, too many weapons pointed at them.

“Tony,” Phoebe whispered under heart breath as she held up her hands to Coulson. “Suitcase.”

A side-smirk appeared on his face. “And you wonder why I like you,” he commented in a hushed tone like hers. “Alright, you caught us,” Tony yelled to the agents, setting the suitcase gently on the ground. “We surrender…”

Not.

He slammed his foot on the center of his suitcase. A boot covered his foot and within seconds, he donned Mark V. Phoebe wrapped herself around the front of his suit and the jets extended out of his back, jetting them off into the sky.

“How much trouble do you think I’m in?” Phoebe asked.

“Well,” Tony said with a metallic echo from his helmet, “if we complete the mission with no casualties or losses, you might have a fair shot.”

***

The headquarters in D.C. is considered the biggest S.H.I.E.L.D. operation building on the east coast. It lives up to its expectation. It has all-glass siding and over 27 floors each equipped with their own intel teams and divisions. The security that surrounds the building under normal circumstances is more than three times normal protocol.

“I’m inside,” Phoebe muttered through the Styrofoam material of her coffee cup, sipping lightly at the beverage. “Nothing out of the ordinary.”

“I got a visual on the west side of the building. Nothing so far,” Tony said. “Let me check the east wing.”

“I’m gonna visit a friend.”

Tony groaned. “This is no time for a social call, Phoebe.”

Phoebe picked up a magazine from the lobby, idling flipping through it. “Relax, will you? Haven’t you ever done a re-con mission before?”

“You forget that international spy is not in my repertoire.”

The first few floors showed no signs of any unusual activity. Truth be told, Phoebe wasn’t sure what exactly she was looking for. She had specialized contacts in that allowed her to read the S.H.I.E.L.D. bracelets that were required to be kept on every staff member, no matter what clearance level. No one was coming up with any court martials or even a speeding ticket. Weird.

Phoebe knocked on the door of Natasha Romanoff, a close friend and fellow agent. Natasha opened the door, eyes wide upon seeing Phoebe.

“What are you doing here?” Natasha asked with a smile, leaning in to give Phoebe a hug. They hadn’t seen each other in almost a year due to their work locations.

“I’m just in town for a few days, thought I’d stop by,” Phoebe said, closing the door behind her. A strand of hair fell in front of her earwig on purpose, though she made it casual. “Anything new with D.C.?”

“Nothing, honestly. We’ve had a few arms dealer cases, some assassinations that need to be intercepted….” Natasha’s eyes lit up. She looked like she was remembering something. “One guy even managed to rig a bomb down the street. We handled it because it was .1 miles outside of our radius, but we turned up empty.”

A bomb rigged to blow .1 miles outside of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s judicial radius? Hmm. That was interesting.

“That’s crazy. I’m glad that S.H.I.E.L.D. wasn’t at risk,” Phoebe said.

Natasha took a seat behind her desk and typed something into her computer. “We did get a minor breech a few days later, but you know how it is. People are always trying to hack into our system. The codes are in a constant scramble because of those boozoos.”

Phoebe leaned back in the visitor’s chair, listening to Natasha’s rant on her long list of “things S.H.I.E.L.D. needs to improve”. At the top of the list? Hackers. It was an interesting list, and she’d had to have Natasha email it to her and then set it to detonate her computer once she’s finished writing everything down, but right now there was a bigger topic.

“Nat?” Phoebe asked out of the blue.

Natasha looked up from her computer.

“How long ago did Coulson alert you that I was here?”

Natasha drew in a breath. Phoebe cursed to herself for being too good at her job. “About fifteen minutes ago.”

“Which means I have zero minutes to get out of here,” Phoebe groaned, then ran over to one of Natasha’s windows. She’d have to do this the hard way.

“You have four minutes,” Natasha corrected, looking up. “I sent a virus to Coulson’s team’s system. They have to guess which floor you’re on until they’re online again.”

Phoebe was grateful to say the least. “Thanks, Nat. Have you noticed anything different going on?”

“Here?” Phoebe nodded. “I’ve only been back for two weeks from my last mission,” Natasha answered with a frown. “You’ll tell me when this is all over what’s going on, right?”

“If I’m compromised, promise me you won’t compromise yourself to come look for me.”

“What? Phoebe, how can you even say that?” Natasha gasped. “Of course I would come look for you. Screw compromising positions or my clearance level. You and Barton are all the family I have.”

“I gotta go,” Phoebe sighed. “Just… promise me, okay?”

Natasha couldn’t get another word in because Phoebe had blasted the window with her powers and jumped. Natasha leaned forward on instinct but was shocked to see her being lifted by Iron Man himself. Natasha was already in the works to interview for an advising position with Tony Stark so S.H.I.E.L.D. could keep an eye on him. Guess it was a little late for that.

“Yeah, women fall for me all the time,” Iron Man quipped, looking at Natasha before launching them away from the window.

***  


“Are you out of your fucking mind? What if I didn’t catch you?” Tony exclaimed, glaring down at the redhead looking back at him with fire in her eyes.

“I can levitate,” Phoebe replied, and if it wasn’t for his suit’s enhanced hearing device built-in, he wouldn’t have heard it at all.

“Yeah, and you’re levitating my patience.”

“I was obviously wrong about HYDRA-”

“Gee, ya think?”

Phoebe tensed under his grasp. “Let’s just get back to ground level so we can re-”

Tony’s suit blared a string of system failures and emergency power packs turned on, but they weren’t powered for two bodies. His repulsor jets sputtered on his back and feet, and they began a fast descendent in a downward spiral.

“Parachute?” Phoebe screamed back to Tony.

“Nope. You can only fit so much into a suitcase!”

Tony held Phoebe as tight as he could and used the suits remaining power to switch places so he was the one flying towards the ground.

“Hold on!” Phoebe screamed. Tony’s hands touched they locked Phoebe in so she could lift her hands without falling. She flicked her wrist and a purple bubble encased them just as they neared the ground. “I can’t hold it!”

“Yes, you can! I know you can. You can do anything. You can do this, Phoebe,” Tony continued encouraging her until he felt the force field smack into the ground, absorbing almost all of the pressure. What pressure remained, Tony took, and he took it like a champ.

“Sir, your suit’s flight pattern has been damaged,” JARVIS said.

“Yep,” Tony groaned, wincing as he turned over on his side, “I noticed.”

“S.H.I.E.L.D. agents are approaching with backup.”

“Okay, time to go.” Tony ripped his helmet off and looked over at Phoebe. She was unconscious, a few scrapes on her face. “Come on, Pheebs, wakey wakey, eggs and bakey!” Tony shook her to try to stir her back into consciousness with no success. “Come on, kid. Don’t do this to me. We gotta go!”

“Tony Stark,” a voice called out. “Stand up with your hands in the air. No funny business, either.”

Tony looked over his shoulder. A balding man held a gun in his direction. His eyes were dark. He looked like he wouldn’t hesitate to put a bullet in his skull if he were to try anything. So, self-preservation and all, Tony stood up, going as far as to deactivate his suit. He stepped out of it, then felt a sudden pain on his jaw as he spun backwards, hitting the ground with a loud _thump!_

***  


“Tony?” Phoebe mumbled into the gravel, holding her head over a bump that was sure to remain there tomorrow.

“Hello, Agent Reynolds.”

Phoebe turned to look at who was talking to her. Finally, a familiar face. “Agent Strucker. Think you could give me a hand?”

“I’d be more than happy to,” Strucker replied with a wide grin, reaching for her hand.

Something was off, but she couldn’t put her finger on it. “On second thought, I think I can handle it myself.” Phoebe attempted to stand, only to stumble.

“You most certainly can,” Strucker mused darkly. “All this time I was curious about why Fury paid such close attention to you. Now I know. You’re her.”

“What are you talking about?” Phoebe asked, feeling very confused. She probably had a concussion. Strucker waved to his men, several of whom grasped her arms and violently stood her up. “Hey! Hands off!”

Phoebe felt the chop to the back of her neck, but she had no time to react. Disoriented, a cloth was placed over her mouth. Every breath she took made her feel like she was distancing herself from reality. Lightheaded and dizzy, Phoebe lost movement in her limbs and everything went black.


	3. Vulnerable

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Phoebe meets Dr. Whitehall, who wants to learn why she gained enhanced abilities so vastly different from Steve Rogers.

***

_Man, that was one hell of a fall. I better get up and check on Tony._

Phoebe jerked forward, unaware that her hands were bound behind her by a metal shackle. Or that she had an IV dangling from her right now. She attempted to activate her powers, only to shock herself at the wrist with her own energy blast.

“Son of a bitch,” Phoebe moaned in pain. She’d never experienced her own powers before, and damn if they weren’t strong. It temporarily knocked her thoughts around like a blender.

Through her mental haze and blurry eyes, she managed to put together the obvious: she was locked in a cage, sitting in a chair, and she was bound by metal shackles that redistribute her powers to work against her.

_At least I wasn’t gagged._

Phoebe studied her cage’s surroundings. There wasn’t much. At least one cage across from her, which meant that there had to be a few more cages lined up on either side of the hall. There was a cot with a raggedy, torn cloth, a grungy red bucket in the corner, as well as hay straws and peanut shells under her feet. Her naked feet.

_Oh my god. What am I wearing?_

Phoebe cringed when she looked down at her bare, pale legs. The ugly, thin, itchy design was recognizable anywhere. A hospital gown. No wonder she felt the draft crawling up her inner thigh. She said a small prayer that her underwear was still on.

There was one solid clue in all of this. One Phoebe still hadn’t determined whether it was a positive or not. There was a Hydra symbol that took up the center of the small office space across from her cage.

 “Shit,” Phoebe cursed. She started to experiment with different tricks, such as light energy voltages to the shackles, but she kept zapping herself instead. “Damn it!” She bit her tongue to keep her voice low.

“It helps not to struggle,” an unfamiliar, weak male voice said, startling her. The voice sounded like it came from the cage across from her, but the room was so dimly lit that she couldn’t make out who they were.

“I’m strapped to a chair in an untied hospital gown,” Phoebe said, her voice low as she continued to tug from her shoulders down. “I’m not really planning on staying.”

“You don’t have a choice.”

“You always have a choice.”

There was silence between the two before the voice answered, “I didn’t.”

Phoebe realized she wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon, so she relaxed just enough that the shackles weren’t rubbing her wrists raw. “Who are you?” she asked.

“That’s such an open-ended question, ‘who are you?’,” the man said, as if to mock her question. “I am many things. Whatever they need, I give. Always ready to comply,” he added. He sounded like he’d rehearsed the line over a dozen times; flat and monotone, without meaning. “Cut off one head, two more shall take its place. Hail Hydra.”

Phoebe felt a shiver run down her spine. “So you’re an agent of Hydra?”

“So are you.”

“Like hell.”

The man let out a crackled laugh. It was dark and cynical. “You have been since the start.”

"The start of what?" Silence. Phoebe went from irritated to pissed off in seconds. “Okay, I’ve been playing along with your one-liners and creepy metaphors, but I’m getting kinda of antsy now. So how about you just tell me straight up what the fuck is going on here.”

She didn’t get answer from her mystery man. A soldier came in and snatched him up, dragging him out of the cage. There wasn’t much to look at with the soldier obscuring her view, but she did get that he was white, wore heavy eyeliner under his eyes and had medium dark brown hair that almost passed for black.

“Welcome to Hydra,” the man managed to say before he was lead out the double doors that the soldier initially came through.

Phoebe was left alone, vulnerable, and cold

***

  
“Tony, can you hear me?”

“Yeah, loud, but not so clear,” he answered, though he wasn’t quite sure who he was answering to. Pain radiated throughout his torso, worsening when he tried to move. “Ouch,” he mumbled.

“Tony, you’re going to be okay.”

“Pepper?” Tony felt like he had just rode the tilt-a-whirl a dozen times. “Where am I?”

“You’re in SHIELD’s infirmary in D.C.,” Pepper said.

Tony finally blinked, and Pepper’s silhouette appeared jumbled, but eventually melted together into one person. “And Phoebe? Where is she?” His voice heightened, remembering that Phoebe was unconscious before he blacked out. Pepper hadn’t said anything, making his nerves worse. “Pepper, tell me where she is,” he demanded, his voice lowering.

“We’re trying to locate her now,” Fury’s voice echoed from the doorway. He was leaning against the hinges, his one eye glaring. “You two just had to do it, didn’t you?”

“What was I supposed to do? Lock her in her room and throw away the key?”

“You sure as hell weren’t supposed to aid and abet the one person who could tear this mission to shreds,” Fury yelled.

Tony felt a headache coming on. He pressed a finger to the bridge of his nose. “I’m gonna take a wild guess here. The SHIELD agents who surrounded us… they weren’t really SHIELD agents, were they?”

Fury sounded just as upset as Tony. “No, they were. We didn’t know that Strucker was a double agent,” Fury admitted solemnly. He came closer to Tony, resting one hand on his hospital bed. Tony frowned. He really seemed distraught over the situation.

“That’s bad for business, director,” Tony stifled back a groan as he spoke. He was trying to get into a comfortable position, but the pain was overpowering his ability to adjust his upper body. _Where are the painkillers?_ Tony thought. “Don’t I get a button that gives me something for this shit?”

Fury whistled and a nurse strode passed Pepper and hooked another line to his hand, injecting something into his line.

“Finally,” Tony grumbled, staring at the ceiling. A few seconds later, his eyes bulged, and his body felt like a furnace. “Whoa. Head rush.”

Fury cleared his throat, and Tony looked at him. “Strucker has Phoebe. God only knows what he’s doing with her, but our best guess is he teamed up with Kozlov to bring her to someone else who is working for Hydra A higher-up, if you will.”

Tony sat up, smiling when he felt zero pain upon doing so. “Well, we gotta go get her.”

“No, there is no ‘we’. You have two cracked ribs and a hematoma on your temporal lobe. You, sir, are not going anywhere.” Fury looked at Pepper, raising a brow. “He doesn’t leave this room.”

Pepper pressed her lips together as she fiddled with her PDA. “I can do my best, but I won’t be liable for his stupidity,” she told him seriously.

“Excuse me. I’m hurt,” Tony feigned.

“We have a team triangulating the GPS tracker in her suit while another team is focusing on Strucker. In the meantime, here is some light reading on Strucker and a recap of Hydra’s history.” Fury tossed two brown files onto Tony’s lap.

When Fury left, Tony turned to Pepper, but before he could even ask, she held up a hand to stop him. “Whatever it is, don’t,” she refused.

 “No, Pepper. You gotta do this one little thing for me,” Tony begged, a slight slur to his words, but otherwise okay. “I just need you to go back to the mansion and bring Mark IV here. It’s nothing huge.”

***

Pepper snickered and began pacing around the ICU room like a crazy person. “I can’t believe- actually, I take that back. I _can_ believe that you’d ask me to do something like that. You have a hematoma on your brain, Tony. I am not dragging that thing across the country to you just so you can get yourself killed.”

Tony, despite his impairment, was able to form mostly coherent sentences. “Are you serious right now? Do you not understand what is happening here? Strucker is working for Hydra. SHIELD had an agent working for Hydra in its office. In its data files. On secret ops missions. He has compromised multiple parts of SHIELD, including Phoeve. She is the last survivor of the super soldier serum. I have to find her before they start dissecting her like a frog!”

Pepper sighed heavily. She felt like the biggest bitch in the world right now, but her job as Tony’s assistant and advisor was to advise him. She couldn’t let him go through with something this dangerous. “Say you find out where they’re keeping her. You can’t just fly to whatever country they have her in with a brain contusion and broken ribs. You can’t fight. And Phoebe may be too weak from whatever they’re doing to her to fight them herself. You’re gonna need to rest if you find her. Use JARVIS to help you with the readings. Make upgrades on Mark IV.  You can’t risk your life just because you’re in love with her.”

Tony blinked, a pure wave of shock flushed over his features. He looked down at his fingers, fiddling with the itchy cloth of the blanket. “How did you-”

Pepper smiled. “It’s my job to see things.”

“I can’t lose her,” Tony admitted in a quiet mumble.

“You won’t. Do what you do best. Once you’re healed, you can kick ass.”

***

  
The mystery man never returned.

Phoebe was not liking her odds at the moment.

It must have been hours before someone ventured back into the tombs, as Phoebe called it. She was shivering from the lack of clothing, which as least hinted that she was being kept somewhere where the temperatures drop significantly over time. The cot and bucket could mean they intend on releasing her from the shackles eventually. But when that was, she couldn’t be sure. No one sat at the two desks diagonal from her cell, which meant they were confident. Either in themselves or in the shackles containing Phoebe’s powers.

Footsteps, shuffled footsteps – different from the mystery man– approached from the other side of the room, the side she couldn’t see because of the walls.

“Are you awake?” the disembodied voice asked. It was another male, though their voice was an octave deeper than the first.

“Two mystery people in one day. I must be special,” Phoebe said through shivers.

“You’ll have to forgive my friend. He just returned from a mission and well… we don’t get a lot of new blood around here.”

“I see. And who are you?” Phoebe asked, looking up at the ceiling.

“Vasily Karpov,” he answered before standing in front of her cell. There was nothing too spectacular about him. Brown hair, middle age, average height. “You are the first person to successfully receive the super-soldier serum since Captain America. That is quite the accomplishment. You must feel proud of yourself, yes?”

Phoebe glared at him. “I have no idea what you’re-”A backhand hit her hard across her face.

“Lies!” Karpov shouted. “Tell me what I want to know!”

Phoebe gulped. She’d been slapped before by enemies. Hell, she’d even been hit by a few various objects over the last few years, but there was something Karpov’s eyes through the yellowish lighting that told Phoebe she had better corporate. “I was sick.”

“Elaborate.”

Oh, how much Phoebe wished she could blow up this prick into a million pieces. “I had fibromyalgia. Very painful condition with the nerves of the body and brain. I couldn’t go to school – some days I couldn’t pick up dishware without feeling like my bones were breaking. My father was a scientist. A brilliant man…” A hard pause. “Until Hydra killed him.”

Karpov left the room, returning with a computer. “Yes, we know he was your father. Now, of course. But that fact was not known to us until we installed the new algorithm in SHIELD’s files.”

Confused, Phoebe asked, “What algorithm?”

Karpov smiled, and Phoebe felt her stomach drop to her knees. “Upon realizing that we were looking for a SHIELD agent, we had a doctor of our own who created a software that used social media, web searches, SHIELD’s files, and Dr. Reynolds journal to find them. What came up in our search? An agent who joined on the same day the Stark’s were murdered. You.”

“Murdered by you.”

Karpov looked insulted, and he held hand high in the air, like he was intimidating her, before slapping Phoebe across the lips. “Not by me!” He spat.

“Now, now, Vasily. That’s enough. I believe this young lady deserves a reward for providing us with the information we needed,” a voice called eerily from the corner. When the owner to the voice came into view, Phoebe studied him. He looked familiar, with white hair and Harry Potter-like glasses. “It is a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Reynolds. I’m Daniel Whitehall. I thought you could use this.”

He had a blanket with him that didn’t have any holes in it like the one on the cot, as well as a set of keys. He used the keys to get into Phoebe’s cell. Cautiously, he eyed the shackles carefully before wrapping the blanket gently around her body, making sure he didn’t touch the IV.

Phoebe used her legs to hold the blanket tightly around her, both for warmth and for modesty. “If you expect a thank you, forget it.”

Whitehall’s smirk was arrogant. “I don’t expect anything from you.”

“Then why am I here?”

Whitehall leaned down under the computer where a small container was kept. He opened it and reached inside, pulling out a syringe. “We want to learn more about you. Our tests should provide us with the information we need.”

Phoebe’s fear was beginning to spiral downward at an alarming rate. “If you need my blood, please just take it. I don’t want any tests. Please,” she begged.

“But without the proper exams, how can we know exactly what caused you develop gifts so differently from Captain Rogers?” Whitehall remarked with a evil grin.

Before Phoebe could speak, Karpov injected the liquid into her IV.  She begged furiously as the liquid traveled through her IV line. She screamed so loud that Whitehall covered her mouth and nose until the drugs took effect. Phoebe felt her body relax against her will, and she found it extremely hard to stay awake. Another moment and she was out.

***

  
“Bring her to the operating room,” Whitehall ordered Karpov. He wheeled her away, and Whitehall headed back into his office where Kozlov and Strucker patiently waited for their bounty for handing her over.

“I can’t believe the plan worked,” Kozlov said. “How did you know she would catch on to the pencil mark?” Kozlov asked Strucker.

“She worked directly under Fury since her arrival at SHIELD. He taught her everything she knows,” Strucker said, and Whitehall winced at the palpable jealousy in his voice.

“And the fall she and Iron Man experienced?” Whitehall questioned carefully, leaning back in his chair with his fingertips placed together. He did not remember that being part of the plan.

“It was a wonderful coincidence,” Kozlov said.

“You both have completed your tasks. A job well done.” Whitehall reached into his desk for his checkbook. He stilled at a moment’s notice, puzzling both men. Strucker stood frozen while Kozlov grew anxious and scared when Whitehall brought a revolver out and shot Kozlov point-blank in between the eyes.

“I’ll take care of the body,” Strucker said, indifferent.

“Meet me in the operating room after. We will perform the first round of tests,” Whitehall ordered, then made his way to the operating room.

 “She’s strong-willed,” Karpov commented upon seeing his boss walk in.

“Yes, well, her neurocognitive imaging suggests that we are going to have to amp it up,” Whitehall said. “Let me try.”

Karpov handed the ECT machine over to Whitehall, who increased the intensity and shoved the probes on either side of her head. Phoebe’s eyes rolled to the back of her head and she let out a muted squeal through the teeth bite. Whitehall hadn’t expected her to release a purple aura, but she did. It was so large that it exploded and knocked everyone against the walls of the operating room, despite her remaining semi-conscious.

“Mark that down!” Whitehall howled. “Time for the LP.”

Phoebe looked at Whitehall when he got up from the blast. She wasn’t completely out, bless her heart. A tear rolled down her face, and Whitehall extended a hand to her cheek, gently wiping away the tear.

“Don’t worry, for this we will be putting you completely under. Not every procedure requires an audience,” he said with a smile on his face.

He watched with a sparkle in his eye as her body went limp.


	4. Shiver

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Phoebe escapes Hydra's base, only to discover an entirely new battlefield... Siberia.

***

  
“Pepper, I said I’m fine.”

“Tony, you were just given the okay to perform light exercises. That does not include scouting for old Hydra bases from World War II!”

“JARVIS, where is my dad’s World War II memorabilia?” Tony hollered at the A.I., wincing slightly. His ribs weren’t quite healed, but he couldn’t go another week without trying to find Phoebe. It’s been three weeks too long without her.

“Storage level C,” JARVIS answered promptly.

Tony headed downstairs to his lab, ignoring Pepper on the way. He then walked down a small hallway where he kept old memories that he didn’t want to keep out but not get rid of either. Stowed away was everything his father kept on World War II, including the original Hydra base camp map Steve Rogers outlined for him.

_Son of a bitch was more than just an war story after all._

He looked at the map, zeroing in on the black dot that was directly on top of Moscow.

He found her.

***

  
The sounds of someone talking in another language caught Phoebe’s attention. Through hooded eyes she saw someone without a left arm being hooked up to a tubular device across the room. It was the mystery man. She had recognized his hair. The man seemed afraid. He looked at Phoebe, and their eyes met with understanding. They were both trapped here.

“What are you doing to him?” Phoebe asked.

No one answered, and the man screamed as frost covered the square window. Dr. Whitehall entered the room with Strucker.

“Ah, you’re awake,” Dr. Whitehall hummed. “Good.”

“What did you do to that man?!” Phoebe exclaimed, fidgeting against the suede belts strapping her against the operating table. The shackle was cuffed in front of her, and she glared upon seeing it was the same one used at SHIELD when she first arrived.

“He is no man!” Whitehall hissed, and a fire erupted in his eyes. “He is the first of many! A soldier. And if you behave, you can become an agent of Hydra, too.”

“Go to hell!” Phoebe shouted, spitting in his face.

Whitehall growled under his breath. “Shock her.”

Phoebe bit down on the spacer that was shoved in her mouth. She watched through teary eyes as the electrodes met her temples. A burning shock entered her brain, and she screamed bloody murder. The pain was beyond words. Her brain felt like mashed potatoes, unable to form a coherent thought as they relaxed the shock.

Blood bags currently hung from above her head. The room spun as she finally managed to put together that the blood bags were hers. They had begun the process of collecting her blood.

A few minutes of silence passed that Phoebe needed to find the right words to say after having her brain in a blender. “You finally decided to take my blood for a test drive, huh?”

Whitehall laughed wickedly from behind her and the sounds of glass clanking together could be heard faintly. “Oh, no, we’ve already taken what we need to recreate the serum.”

“For your super soldiers?” Phoebe asked blatantly. Whitehall looked at her. “I over heard you talking with Karpov.”

Whitehall considered her for a moment. There was something different in the way that he looked at her, as if he were… impressed. “We can always make you join Hydra like we did with him,” he gestured to the cyro machine. “We have great medical and dental.”

“I’d sooner die than work for Hydra.”

“Then you shall die,” Whitehall’s voice threatened. “Those are your only options.”

“I’m ready when you are,” Phoebe responded, holding her head up high.

Whitehall wrapped his hands around her neck tightly, and she hitched her breathing. “This is what you want, yes?” He pressed his fingernails into her neck, and droplets of blood slipped down to her collarbone. Air was quickly running out of her lungs as she kicked her legs violently as if that would help her regain any life in her lungs. “To feel death at your fingertips. To kiss it tenderly with your very last breath and welcome it with open arms.”

“You talk… too… much,” Phoebe ground out between gasps for air. “You’ve…. got… your blood. Finish… it.”

Whitehall looked like he was considering her offer. Phoebe saw the spec of joy watching her life waver with his hands. The way they glistened as hers darkened. He was enjoying every second of it. But he surprised her. He loosened the grip on her neck, but instead, she felt a pinch. He’d injected her with something.

 _More sedatives_ , she groaned, closing her eyes and waiting for the inevitable.

“I hope you find it in your heart to join us, Phoebe. We’d hate to boost your powers for no reason,” Whitehall said.

“Boost?” The question echoed through Phoebe’s lips.

“You’ll see.”

She didn’t see. She _felt_. Everything.

Every air molecules touching her skin. The molecules on her breath, in her lungs, on her face. She felt the world come alive for the first time and it was beautiful. Like every sense was on overdrive.

But then it felt bad.

Really bad. Phoebe felt her stomach twist. Nauseous. Pained. She pressed her lips together as the pain intensified up and down her legs. She leaned back, hitting her head on the board’s built-in pillow as the injection pumped through her veins.

“Start the gamma,” Whitehall ordered as he slipped on an apron.

“N-no,” Phoebe mumbled through painful eyes, tears pricking her flushed skin. “I’m not… not ending up like Banner.”

“Ah, yes. Bruce Banner. Don’t worry, he was missing one key ingredient in the serum that we have. Your blood.”

Phoebe seized as the booster worked its way through every organ of her body, causing an explosive feeling inside her. Like her own molecules were exploding and being replaced by the booster’s organic compound.

Phoebe closed her eyes, and when they opened again, they were bright purple.

“Her shackles!” Karpov barked. “It’s charging with her energy. If it redistributes against her, it could be lethal!”

“We need her on Hydra’s side,” Whitehall howled. “Release the shackles.”

Karpov did, but as soon as the shackles were undone, the energy redistributed, hitting Whitehall straight through the chest, killing him.

Phoebe felt like she’d just come up for fresh air. Her senses heightened to the point of complete awareness. She looked at Karpov like he was something to eat. Phoebe fired an energy blast towards him, but he used a metal tray to block it, sending him _through_ the brick wall.

She just destroyed _a brick wall_.

Phoebe ran out of the operating room, no care in the world that her back was exposed and her feet only had hospital socks on. There were too many turns. She had no clue where she was headed until she heard – from an extreme distance – the sounds of an elevator dinging. She followed her senses until she reached a group of three men, who looked at her. that held up their guns.

“Patient Zero has escaped custody! Kill on sight!”

The men held up their guns and fired, but the bullets slowed. Not a complete stop, but slow motion. With just the wave of her hand, she could walk around the bullets in real time.

“Whoa,” she breathed as she looked at the bullets. They were so different when they weren’t being shot at her, she thought. She managed to squeeze through the soldiers and she quickly jabbed at the up button. She had no idea where she was going, but things could only go up from here, right?

Phoebe blasted the main door several times until the lock exploded. When the door opened, a literal cold chill went down her body, and when she stepped forward, all she saw was white.

She was knee-deep in snow.

“Great. Just… great,” Phoebe muttered to herself, reaching behind her to tie her hospital gown together.

***

“JARVIS, where are we?” Tony asked.

“We’re in Moscow, sir,” JARVIS answered.

“Yes, yes we are. I guess I should have asked, ‘what are the coordinates for Hydra’s camp?’”

“You are approximately 38 miles from Hydra’s base camp.”

Tony switched his suit to offensive mode, the lights turning red inside his helmet and his repulsors connecting to his iris. “Let’s knock and say hello.”

By the time Iron Man made it to the base camp, most of its inhabitants were either dead or severely injured. It looked like a war zone. He noticed vague footprints in the snow.

“JARVIS, analyze foot pattern with a sample of Phoebe’s,” Tony asked, feeling the adrenaline pumping through his neck and rattled against his head.

“98.99957% match for Phoebe Reynolds,” JARVIS said. “There is a visual pattern to follow, although with the snowfall rate, you may want to hurry. Phoebe could die.”

“What else is new,” Tony muttered before jetting off in the direction of the footprints.

***  
It was only two hours before Phoebe felt her legs numbing to the point she collapsed in the snow. Her socks were frozen solid, cutting into her feet and ankles like razor blades. The snow had reached her mid-calf now and her footprints behind her were clearly gone. The tip of her nose was frostbitten, and so were her lips. If it wasn’t for the super soldier serum, Phoebe would have probably been dead by now.

***

“Sir, the footprints are getting harder to trace,” JARVIS warned.

“Trace them as far as you can, I’ll fly a tad higher.”

“If you fly any higher, your vision will be obscured by the fog.”

Tony groaned. He’d have to go with his gut. “Fine. Let me know when the trails runs cold, no pun intended.”

“Very well, sir.”

***

  
Phoebe’s heart was racing at an extreme rate that she felt her chest pressing against itself. Her muscles were stiff, as she couldn’t even move her arms to secure them around her torso in an attempt to warm herself. She lay, frozen, barely able to open her eyes due to the crusting and icicles attaching themselves to every hairy part of her body. She decided to keep her eyes closed, feeling exhausted and drained. A few minutes of rest, couldn’t hurt, right?

***

  
“I think I see something,” Tony said, trying to get a closer look. He accelerated his speed when he saw it was Phoebe, splaying in the snow. “JARVIS, I got a visual on Phoebe!” He flew down to where Phoebe was lying in the snow, her body almost covered completely. Tony commanded the suit to released his hand so he could check for a pulse. “She feels like glass. Her whole body is frozen,” he gasped. “I can’t find her-”

“Vitals are low, but stable.”

“It’s the snow,” Tony realized. “It’s keeping her alive. J, call an evac helicopter. We have to take her home in the snow or she could die.”

“SHIELD’s fire and rescue are on their way to your location.”

“Alright, Pheebs. You’re okay. I got ya. Always got ya,” Tony rambled. He held Phoebe’s frozen body in his metal lap and waited for fire and rescue to pick them up.


	5. Searching

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Phoebe takes some vacation time in the best way possible.

***

  
“Get if off! Get it off!” Phoebe screamed.

Tony jolted forward from the chair, gasping. He held his armed hand at the door. To protect Phoebe, he kept his Iron Man hand on after finding her in the snow.

That was five days ago.

Phoebe was conscious now, but clearly not comfortable. SHIELD ordered her to be tied down in case she was compromised. Tony reached over and ripped both shackles easily with Iron Man on his side.

“Hey, relax. It’s okay. They’re gone,” Tony promised, his voice low and quiet. “They’re gone.”

Phoebe sighed into the bed. “Is it still 2010?”

“April 17, 2010,” Tony said. He was tip-toeing around Phoebe, afraid that anything would startle her. He remembered the aftermath of being held prisoner for 3 months. He couldn’t sleep or even touch the armor for a while. Anything to reminded him of those days made him cringe. And he didn’t have people experimenting on him.

“And the books?” Phoebe gestured weakly to the texts on neuropharmacology and gamma radiation.

“Your labs showed exposure to gamma radiation. I don’t know what it is that you remember, but-”

“They injected me with something. I don’t know what. But then he started the gamma, and… and-” Phoebe stopped, curling into her pillow, effectively shutting down.

Tony wanted to hold her, comfort her. But even his presence seemed to be making Phoebe stiff. “It’s okay. You don’t have to explain anything. Not until you want to.”

Phoebe looked at a cup of water sitting on her nightstand. There was one thing she loved to do. Playing with water molecules. She flicked her wrist to capture a bubble of water in the air.

Nothing happened.

“Uh, performance anxiety?” Tony offered, but he knew better.

“Whatever those bastards did took away my powers,” Phoebe said lowly, her voice dark and filled with an anger that Tony has never heard come from her lips.

“We’ll figure it out.”

A beat. “Tony?”

He looked up. “Yeah?”

“Do you really love me?”

Tony blinked. It was a simple question with a simple answer, but Tony had been talking with Happy on the phone, and she was still defrosting. He hadn’t expected her to hear him, or half of the conversations he had with her while she was frozen.

“Tony?” Phoebe asked quietly.

“I, uh…” Tony shook his head, needing to force the words to come out. “I do. I love you, Phoebe. And I know that if you heard that than you probably heard everything else I said, too. So I don’t want you to feel nervous or scared or feel like you have to say it back because you don’t.”

Phoebe smiled. Good sign, indeed. “You’re cute when you’re nervous.”

“I’m always cute,” Tony replied with a smirk.

“I do love you, Tony. But I don’t know if I love you the way that you say you love me. I just… I wish I had a better answer’ Phoebe said, looking down at her hands.

“You have earned the right to say you don’t know. A lifetime’s of, ‘I don’t know’. I’m not in any rush. I just had to tell you because it’s been dawning on me for a while. Then of course there was the kiss and that was not my finest drunken moment. Not that it was bad because it wasn’t. It was great, but-”

“You’re rambling, Tony.” she giggled. “And People magazine says that you’re just a narcissistic jackass,” Phoebe playfully winked. “I don’t buy it for a second.”

“You bring out the best in me, whatever best of me I have that is,” Tony said, shrugging.

“That was English wasn’t it?”

“Starklish.”

Phoebe laughed.

“All I want is your happiness, Pheebs,” Tony said, offering a tender smile.

“I will find happiness,” Phoebe assured him. “I’m not sure where I’ll find it, but it’s out there. Somewhere.”

“How will you know once you find it?” Tony asked.

“I’ll know because I won’t be spending my time thinking about it. I’ll be experiencing it.”

Phoebe was bound and determined, especially after experiencing a near-death experience, to find more than just friendship and work in life.

She was going to find love.

***

  
**_(Two weeks later)_**

Phoebe was happy to be back in her Midtown apartment. She loved Tony, but after realizing that he was only meant to be loved as a friend, she moved out of his mansion, taking those damn fine fluffy sheets with her, and she flew home. In a _Stark Industries_ personal jet, of course.

Karpov and Strucker were on the run. But with Strucker being outed to SHIELD as a Hydra agent, he wasn’t going to be going after Phoebe anytime soon. Especially not with the bags of blood that Strucker and Karpov had.

Phoebe was beginning to think her powers would never return, though she would get a flicker here and there. She managed to light a candle with her fingertip one day. But for the most part, nothing. Tony used what remained of Bruce Banner’s files on gamma radiation to determine if it caused a permanent cessation of her powers, or if combined with the booster shot, caused a latent modification. For now, it was up in the air.

The one nice thing to come out of all of this was the unlimited leave of absence Fury gave her until she felt ready to return to work. Phoebe knew her time off would last maybe a week, if that. She was a textbook workaholic.

_Bzzzzz. Bzzzzz. Bzzzz._

Phoebe’s work phone? Hm. Wonder why that would be going off?

It was a text from Agent Phil Coulson.

          _Sorry about what happened. I had no idea about Strucker. Maybe this will make you feel better. We found Captain America’s shield in the ice. I heard you were taking some time off. I’m going with the next search ship if you want to join me._

Phoebe smiled. What better way to spend vacation than searching for Captain America?

          _I’m in._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Join Phoebe on her next adventure. Phoebe joins Agent Coulson on a journey to find Captain America. The story of how Phoebe and Steve meet is coming soon!


End file.
